as in plump
having an excess of body fat
in America, Santa Claus is portrayed as a jolly but tubby older gentleman
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tubby
It is sold in a curious short and tubby bottle with an original label with an old man with wispy hair and a long beard.
—
Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
The structure is like a planetary system with its multiple characters and fascinating satellites: his best friend Ruprecht, a tubby genius; Lori, his unrequited love; Carl the psychopath; Howard the Coward; Father Green a.k.a.
—Tomi Obaro, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024
Colin Farrell’s Penguin Is Different From The Comics The original Batman villains were mostly made up of gangsters, and the Penguin first appeared in the early 40’s as a tubby man in a tuxedo and monocle, wielding a variety of gadgets inside his iconic umbrella.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
Heavy, ample, plump, tubby—these might as well be curse words.
—TIME, 2 Feb. 2024
This gives it the slight grace of a drawer without sacrificing the functionality of a big tubby bin.
—Kevin Cortez, Popular Mechanics, 17 Aug. 2023
After a long day of tail wagging, tubby rubbing, and shoe chewing, your dog deserves a comfortable place to rest.
—Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2023
The 65-minute family show sees A.A. Milne‘s tubby little cubby brought to life along with his furry friends.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 27 Mar. 2023
These spirits, or at least the pair of figurines representing them, were too tubby to fit through the door to their new spirit house at the Baan Pitak condominium in Bangkok.
—Adam Dean, BostonGlobe.com, 13 June 2020
Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
The structure is like a planetary system with its multiple characters and fascinating satellites: his best friend Ruprecht, a tubby genius; Lori, his unrequited love; Carl the psychopath; Howard the Coward; Father Green a.k.a.
—Tomi Obaro, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024
Colin Farrell’s Penguin Is Different From The Comics The original Batman villains were mostly made up of gangsters, and the Penguin first appeared in the early 40’s as a tubby man in a tuxedo and monocle, wielding a variety of gadgets inside his iconic umbrella.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
Heavy, ample, plump, tubby—these might as well be curse words.
—TIME, 2 Feb. 2024
This gives it the slight grace of a drawer without sacrificing the functionality of a big tubby bin.
—Kevin Cortez, Popular Mechanics, 17 Aug. 2023
After a long day of tail wagging, tubby rubbing, and shoe chewing, your dog deserves a comfortable place to rest.
—Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2023
The 65-minute family show sees A.A. Milne‘s tubby little cubby brought to life along with his furry friends.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 27 Mar. 2023
These spirits, or at least the pair of figurines representing them, were too tubby to fit through the door to their new spirit house at the Baan Pitak condominium in Bangkok.
—Adam Dean, BostonGlobe.com, 13 June 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tubby
Adjective
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For those with thinner lips, glossy or satin textures add depth for a fuller effect, while a matte formula gives naturally plump lips a velvety backdrop that makes the rich pigment pop.—
Beatrice Zocchi,
Vogue,
26 Sep. 2025
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Katmai National Park and Preserve officials say the bears are magnificently plump ahead of the tournament.—
Bill Chappell,
NPR,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
One study found that drinking oolong tea helped increase fat oxidation by 20% within 24 hours of consumption.—
Teresa Maalouf,
Verywell Health,
26 Sep. 2025
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Pork belly will classically have three or five stripes of fat—you’ll want these to be tightly layered with the stripes of meat.—
Irene Yoo
September 26,
Literary Hub,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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First-round defensive lineman Shemar Stewart was inactive Monday night due to an ankle injury and has had a quiet start so far.—
Josh Kendall,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
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Try looking at two one-way flights Flight aggregators, such as Google Flights, will display only round-trip flights from a single airline or two one-way flights from partner airlines.—
Michelle Baran,
AFAR Media,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tubby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tubby. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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